And as disappointed as we may be that this July will bring an end to the lovely partnership that has been Nolan and the Caped Crusader, deep down we know it's the right thing, and Nolan explained his reasoning well.

"I don't want to hold anything back [for a fourth film]," Nolan said. The implication here is that "The Dark Knight Rises" contains everything he has left to say about Batman, which is a very good thing.

But if he's officially done with Batman, where does Nolan go from here? He did direct non-Batman movies at one time after all.

At the moment, when the "Dark Knight Trilogy" comes to a close for Nolan, the projects he currently has firmly lined-up are producer credits. Warner Bros isn't quite ready to let go of their meal ticket, so Nolan has a story and producer credit on Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel." He's also producing an upcoming, yet-to-be-titled supernatural thriller for the studio. Keith Gordon, Nolan's former assistant, will write and direct the project.

Beyond a few producing projects, the future remains unclear for Nolan. Back in 2010, a production based on a screenplay he had written called "The Keys to the Street" began moving forward with Gemma Arterton attached to star. "The Keys to the Street" is based on a novel by Ruth Rendell, and Nolan originally adapted the book for Fox Searchlight all the way back in 1998. It's highly unlikely that Nolan would direct the film though, if it ever gets off the ground. He previously said that he liked the script, but that it shares too many characteristics with films he's made in the meantime.

Word circulated last week after the latest issue of Empire hit stands that Nolan still has ambitions to direct a James Bond film, but some it all depends on timing. "It would have to be the right situation and the right time in their cycle of things," he said.

In the same article, Nolan also hinted that his long-in-development Howard Hughes biopic may be dead, but he put an optimistic spin on it saying, "Luckily I managed to find another wealthy, quirky character who's orphaned at a young age."

Like most things Nolan does, his next directing project remains a secret, so until there's official word, we'll keep our fingers crossed for a Bond movie, which would be like printing money.

Where would you like to see Nolan go next? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!